A Pinay mom (and grandmom!) from Cavite and Rizal blogs on her insights & anecdotes about her Filipino family life, home, motherhood, parenting, lifestyle, health, home & fitness tips, entertainment, current issues and more...

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Stress is a part of our lives. Show me a person with nary a stress and I'll show an unfeeling, unemotional one. Stress is highly manageable though. I resort to prayers, meditation and talks with relevant people and blog, to destress. I also (as most of the female-population-worldwide-do) turn to comfort foods. We've coined the food we love best - translated to FAT-tening - as comfort food. My comfort foods are: blueberry cheesecake, SPAM lathered in tomato ketchup, chocolate cake and banana split. I know!- all grossly high cholesterol-calorie-laden food! These foods might soothe frayed nerves temporarily but will ultimately make us feel worse.

Sugar's initial rush will fade making blood's sugar level go down triggering the stress hormones. Worry not at real comfort foods do exist.

Avocado: Loaded with vitamin B that is depleted due to stress. This creamy fruit's fat is good fat.

Mixed Nuts: An ounce will do. Nuts are full of vitamins B, E and zinc that are stress-depleted. Buy the ones in shells. Cracking the shell will release tension too.

Chai Tea: Tea ceremonies have been done in ancient times as a prelude to important decision making time or where sensitive matters are to be discussed. There's nothing to beat a hot-soothing-tea to calm your nerves.

Asparagus: This veggie is full of folic acid, a natural mood lightener.

Dark Chocolate: If you feel the need for chocolate, get the dark one. There's nothing remotely stress-relieving ingredient in it, but what the heck, it tastes good. If the antioxidants in the chocolate might help fight cancer, surely there might something in it to fight stress too - even if it's only-in-your-mind.